The College Board gave the new SAT for the first time Saturday -- crucial not only for the students taking it but for the College Board. With more colleges than ever before going test optional and the ACT gaining market share, the changes in the test were designed to address longstanding criticisms. The ultimate success of the changes won't be evident for a while, and will depend in part on scores and how different groups of students perform and how colleges view the results. But if the first test of the new test was to have it given without major glitches, the College Board may just have pulled that off. Inside Higher Ed had reporters at two testing sites to talk to students as they left. Most students were tired and relieved to have the test over, and some feared that they had not done well on some sections. Those are of course the kinds of reactions one would find any time the SAT is given. Some students seemed unaware that the writing test is now optional, that the guessing penalty has been eliminated and that there are now free test-prep videos available. One student had "no clue" that scoring had changed. Of students who had taken the old SAT and this one, they were divided on whether the new test was better or easier.

March 7, 2016 ・ From Inside Higher Ed